Protect Our Environment

We really need your help to keep our parks and beaches clean. Please dispose of general waste and recyclables appropriately in the bins provided and make sure you take any excess waste with you (to be disposed of responsibly later).

If you're providing food or drink please avoid glass, straws and single use plastics where possible.

We're happy for you to use rose petals but we ask you pick as much of them up as possible before you leave. No rice, plastic or other confetti's please (including biodegradable ones). If you want to use bubbles make sure they're environmentally friendly too.

In a nutshell, please do everything you can to protect our environment and keep our parks, waterways and oceans clean.

Under the Cover

We’re talking about insurance here, Public Liability Insurance (or if you’re one of those people who like acronyms you might see it referred to as PLI).

We have a scale of impact when it comes to events, anywhere from low to high. A wedding ceremony is considered low impact. As a casual, private hirer of one of our spots we won’t generally ask you to provide Public Liability Insurance for a low impact event provided your needs and wants are within the scope of the application form.

If your wish list falls outside the scope of the application form we’ll have a chat with you to make sure you’re covered on the day.

Smile for the Camera

You won’t need direct approval from us to have your ceremony filmed or photographed but check with Screen Hunter to make sure you don’t need a filming permit. Better yet, delegate the task to your photographer or videographer who can check this out for you.

The Boring (but important) Bits

We’ll do our very best to turn the weather on but let’s face it, open spaces rest in the hands of the elements. Having a Plan B will take the pressure off if Plan A doesn’t work out. Remember it’s not about the location at the end of the day, it’s about celebrating you!

Severe weather, civil or maintenance works and projects, art installations, vandalism and nearby events can alter the aesthetic of an open space. Unfortunately we're not able to guarantee a floral display because garden beds are also at the mercy of the elements. You'll usually see a floral display sometime throughout autumn and spring but the months and aesthetic can vary depending on the conditions of the current season.

We're offering use of the land we own or manage only. You’ll need to make your own arrangements in regards to event planning such as celebrants, seating and set up, PA systems and the like.

Footpaths, other walkways and carparks are there for everybody to use so please ensure you're not blocking these off or interfering with the general flow of the park or beach.

There aren't any magic wedding passes we can give you for parking and access so you'll need to park in the spaces provided. No vehicle access is permitted (for this type of event) onto park or beach reserves for setting up either. It would be great if you could make sure your guests and event decorators are aware of this ahead of time.

There are several hot, hot spots in Newcastle which means we may take more than one booking at your spot on the same day. We’ll allow an hour between bookings to give you time to do you’re thing before and after but please be courteous to your fellow couples by vacating promptly. You can check this with us ahead of time if you like.

If you’re doing it right your reception is probably going to be fun and loud and we wouldn’t want to interfere with that. It’s for these reasons (as well as anti-social behaviour and safety) that we won't approve a wedding reception at our parks and beaches.

There are a number of civil works projects (both planned and underway) which may impact an event in the city, particularly in the eastern end of Newcastle. We’ll give you as much notice as possible should we need to move or cancel your ceremony due to a site becoming unsafe or inaccessible. We’ll keep in touch with the projects' crews to ensure as minimal impact as possible however some things are simply out of our control.

You’ve probably heard of this little thing called Supercars. We’re proud to be hosting this international event annually up to 2021 but that means between the months of October and December we’ll have to work around the event bumping in and out, as well as the event itself. This will impact eastern city areas including Foreshore Park, Customs House Plaza, Tramway Reserve, Pacific Park, Newcastle Beach and Nobbys Beach. Unfortunately it's unlikely you'll be able to book any of these locations between mid-October and late December.

Keep an eye on our Events Calendar as well to make sure you’re on top of what’s on in the nearby area at the same time you’re planning to say your I Do’s. Again, our locations are all public places and most of them bookable.

Whether you’re local or from out of town our landscape may have changed since the last time you paid us a visit, so it’s worth a drive to check out the sites of interest to ensure they meet your expectations prior to locking anything in.

Other spots owned or managed by the City

Haven't found the right fit at one of our parks or beaches? Or would you prefer a spot with a roof? Well, there's a couple of other venues you might like to check out that are looked after by other areas within our organisation. We know it's confusing so here's some shortcuts to make life a bit easier.